Wall structure



March 27, 1934. E. LEEMANN 1,952,330

WALL STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 10, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 (F feemmn March 27, 1934. E LEEMANN 1,952,380

WALL STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 10, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [fgemann Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT Y OFFICE wan. smoc'rima Edwin Leemann, Milan, Italy Application August 10, 1931, Serial No. 556.274

1 Claim. (01. 61-46) It is known that subaqueous constructions of every kind, exposed to a scouring, settlement and overturning action, as for instance abutment, supporting and retaining walls, haven moles 5 and quays, piers, haunches or the like, require special foundations generally sunk to great depths in order to establish a suitable support or anchorage, said depths being accomplished only by very expensive means, as for instance the employment of compressed air caissons or the adoption of difierent drainage systems.

This invention has for its object a method for executing subaqueous constructions, which completely differs from all present methods and in comparison therewith presents the advantage that it greatly reduces both the time and the expense required for the construction.

Said new method consists in the feature that a very resistant and sure ground strata is accomplished by means of piles of either wood or iron or reinforced concrete or any other kind, which are driven according to one or more rows along the axis of the work to be constructed, said piles being then connected together by means of natural or artificial blocks suitably shaped, which are fitted on the same piles in such amanner as to form a unitary body anchored in the ground;

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, representing the construction of an abutment wall.

In these drawings,

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a diagrammatic section and a plan view showing the disposition of the piles to be driven,

Figures 3 and 4 respectively show a plan view and a longitudinal section of a block according to the invention,

Figure 5 is a plan view of a block of modified form,

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view showing an abutment wall with its blocks mounted in place,

Figure '7 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in Figure 6 and Figures 8 and 9 show in cross section successive steps of the setting of the piles with the associated blocks.

Along the axis 1 of the work to be constructed and at distances of for instance one and a half millimeters piles '2 either of reinforced concrete, iron, or wood, or consisting of iron or steel tubes, or obtained by compression, are driven, said piles being sunk to such a depth that they may not be scoured or pulled up by floods or any other dynamic action, while their heads are maintained above the water level. Between these piles 2 which are employed as guides the blocks 3 are lowered, said blocks being composed of natural or artificial conglomerates and having the form and dime ions as for instance indicated in Fig. 3 and such a weight as to be able to be transported by means of a crane or any other lifting and conveying plant.

All the blocks 3, preferably having the same form, are providedwith vertical holes 4 (Fig. 3) which serve as guiding means in order to insure that the block will be exactly lowered to its previously determined supporting ground.

Likewise the blocks 3 are provided with recesses 5 either internal and communicating with the hole 4 or formed upon the supporting surfaces, as well as with projections or bosses 6 on their lower faces for engaging recesses 7 in the upper faces of the adjacent blocks in such manner that said blocks by their laying may be easily jointed together with a perfect overlapping. By overlapping said blocks a construction work, as for instance an abutment wall (Fig. 6) of any height and length may be obtained. In addition rings 8 are anchored in the upperfaces of the blocks to facilitate handling and are accommodated in recesses 9 in the lower faces during laying thereof.

After having placed a convenient number of blocks such that the upper blocks project above the water level, the holes and hollows of all blocks are filled with either cement mortar or mortar of special conglomerates for resisting the scouring action of the salt water, said mortars being preferably injected with the aid of compressed air in such a manner that all cavities or recesses, as for instance those indicated by 4, 5 and 9, as well as all joints between the overlapped blocks may be completely filled, Thus all the blocks are perfectly connected together and form with the pilesa unit anchored to the ground by means of the same piles (Fig. 6). Both the hollows and the overhangs are disposed in such a manner as to prevent any leakage of the binding conglomerates.

The thus executed construction work must be crowned at the top with a binding structure designed to connect together both the blocks and the heads of the piles, said crowning structure consisting'of a layer 10 of conveniently reinforced concrete (Fig. 9).

It is to be understood that the blocks as for instance those described, may be guided in their descent by means of provisional posts, such as tubes or piles of any kind whatever, said posts being substituted, after their withdrawal, by other connecting piles made 01' either compressed concrete or other suitably 'reini'orced conglomerates and sunk to any desired depth.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

A wall structure of the character described, including a plurality of vertically disposed piles arranged in row formation, a plurality of blocks each having a central aperture and having the respective ends recessed, said blocks being arranged in vertical and longitudinal contacting rows and having their aligning central apertures engaging one o! the piles while the recessed ends en the adjacent piles, said blocks being also provided with cavities situated about the apertures and extending laterally therefrom and arranged in the upper and lower sections thereof, a filling of cementitious material injected about the piles into the apertures and into the spaces between the adjacent recessed ends and from the apertures into the cavities so as to form a unitary structure, and a cementitious covering on the upper surface of the uppermost blocks and each vertical row and anchored to the upper ends of the piles to coact therewith to form a unitary structure.

EDWIN LEEMANN.

ill 

